A Chance For Freedom, A Chance For Love
by Changer of Stories
Summary: There is nothing special about her. There is nothing gentle about him. If you saw the two passing one another on the street, you would never connect the dots. Never see the chance the two had... together. Tristan/OC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own King Arthur- the legend or the movie- I only own K'tanya de la Etalon, her past, and this wonderful tale I have placed her in. If Tristan suddenly becomes available for sale, then you better believe I'm going to try and purchase him. 

Chapter 1:

A fair skinned woman with long, ebony colored hair and dull, silvery-blue eyes moved about the crowded tavern helping her red-haired friend, Vanora, serve ale and food to the combination of drunk and sober men and women. She moved about the tavern with the grace of a dancer and the skill of a veteran wench, not that she was either of these things. The only downside to helping her friend was the amount of male hands she had to slap away as they reached for either her waist or her backside.

Setting down an empty tray on the back counter, the woman took a long breath as she waited for Vanora to place some jugs of ale on her waiting tray.

"K'tanya." Called a calm voice and the woman's eyes flickered open to see her friend smiling at her. "You look tired, are you sure you want to hang about here?" K'tanya merely smiled and nodded before taking the full tray and diving back into the crowd. 

She made her way past a few gambling Romans to a table occupied by a small group of men who she knew to be Sarmatian Knights. The only non-Sarmatian present was their Roman commander Arthur Castus.

"Here you go gentleman." She spoke with false happiness as she set a tankard of ale before each man. Some mumbled their appreciation while others, mainly Lancelot, tried to seduce her into their beds.

"Lancelot, leave the lady alone." Stated the gentle giant called Dagonet. K'tanya flashed him a small smile of thanks as Lancelot held off his advances. 

As she made her way back to the counter, she felt an uneasy feeling, almost as though someone was watching her. After casting a glance around the tavern, she finally spotted the person watching her. In one of the darkest corners of the tavern sat the silent and rumored inhuman scout of the Sarmatian Knights. As her eyes made contact with his she couldn't help but feel as though her veins were being frozen. A loud crash jolted her out of her trance and she turned to see a drunken Roman being lifted up off the ground. When she turned back to where the scout had been he had already vanished like a ghost into the night. Shaking away her childish uneasiness, K'tanya returned to serving drinks, food, and turning down offers of passion filled nights.

The world was dark and almost completely silent as K'tanya made her way to her quarters later that evening, or what could have been considered as early morning. A soft breeze sent strands of her hair dancing and teased the hem of her gown. Even in the dark she could see the enormous rain clouds above her head and she could smell the coming of rain. 

Quickening her pace and drawing her cloak around her as she did so, K'tanya immersed herself in her own thoughts as she hurried to beat the rain. She was so lost in her mind that she didn't notice the other figure out so late until she ran right into him. She stumbled backwards and would have fallen had the man not grabbed her by the elbow and steadied her.

"Thank you." She whispered softly as she looked up to see whom the man was and instantly wishing she hadn't. The uneasiness from earlier returned along with the feeling that her blood was being frozen in her veins as she stared into the dark, icy brown eyes that belonged to Tristan the Scout.

"I'm terribly sorry." She apologized in a hushed tone hoping he wouldn't be mad at her. No reply came except for Tristan releasing her arm and walking away into the depths of the night.

Not wanting to be outside any longer, K'tanya hurried on her way at an almost dead run until she reached the safety of her quarters. Only then did she stop, breath, and contemplate as to why Tristan did nothing when she apologized to him. Such complicated and confusing thoughts made her already tired mind ache, so she climbed into her cold bed and lay there for what seemed like an eternity before drifting off into what would be a few hours of sleep.

a/n: This is the first King Arthur Fan-fic I've done in a while so please don't be too hard on me.(haven't watched the movie in a while either) I love reviews and I'll try and update as soon as possible. I could also use some help with coming up with a title since I'm not the best at titling a work. All help and suggestions are appreciated, thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Same old same old, I don't own King Arthur. I only own K'tanya de la Etalon, her past, and this lovely story I am concocting.

Chapter 2:

It had been three days since K'tanya's run-in with Tristan. She hadn't seen him, let alone spoken to him in that period of time, but he had seen her. K'tanya was sure if it was her imagination, or if he was really watching her. She felt as if his eyes were always on her, following her every move, but when she would look there would be no one around.

Currently, she was in the stables where she had been for roughly fifteen minutes just talking to the horses. She didn't dare touch any of them for fear she might be yelled at. After all, they were the horses of some of the greatest warriors in Britain.

She swung her feet in a slow motion and looked down on the world below. K'tanya had managed to climb up into the rafters of the stables and was now a good twenty feet up in the air with nothing to really catch if she happened to fall.

Loud laughter and some shrewd comments reached her ears and she could easily identify the voices as the Sarmatian knights. The stables doors opened just as she scurried off the rafter and ducked into the hayloft while silently praying she wouldn't be found.

"I'm telling you, Mara will be in my bed by tonight." Boasted Lancelot proudly as he talked about his next "catch".

"Mara is the unattainable. She only goes to bed with who she wants." Argued Gawain.

"Who wouldn't want me?" came the predictable retort.

"Lancelot, is it really your goal to bed every woman in this fort?" inquired Galahad curiously. A moment of silence followed before Lancelot answered.

"It used to be. Now it is just my goal to bed every so called 'unattainable' woman in this fort." Roars of laughter came from the knights and K'tanya couldn't help but scowl at such terrible behavior. 

'Chivalry must have died a long time ago.' She thought in annoyance as she continued to listen to the conversation below her.

"Now if you want an unattainable woman," Bors deep voice held an air of mystery and intrigue about it as he spoke, "you go for that miss K'tanya de la Etalon." K'tanya froze as her name was mentioned and also at Lancelot's next statement.

"Then she shall be my next catch." She listened as bets were made and Lancelot's ego grew a few sizes bigger. The last thing she wanted was to be the object of attention of Lancelot.

After an hour or so, the voices in the stables faded away and K'tanya knew it was now safe to emerge from her hiding place. She walked almost noiselessly along the edge of the loft when a hawk landed in the window. It let out a shrill shriek that gave K'tanya such a fright, she spun around, fell off the loft, and landed in the arms of one very stiff and bewildered Tristan.

Her arms were draped around his neck as she turned to face the man who had caught her. As soon as she did, it felt as though she had swallowed her tongue and as if her stomach was being clenched by an iron vice. 

"I-I'm sorry." She managed to force out at an almost inaudible whisper. She lay there staring into Tristan's dark eyes and wondered if he was going to kill or release her and she prayed it was the latter. Her shock from her fall grew into bewilderment as she was set down gently by the ruthless killer before her.

"Try to be careful." Came the cold and emotionless statement from the knight before he disappeared from the stables. K'tanya stood rooted to her spot in complete shock and speechlessness at the fact that the silent scout had just spoken to her. 

a/n: How was that? I have some time until I have to hit the snooze button, so I'm going to try and get another chapter up. Yep, please let me know what you all think. And a big thanks to all my reviewers- ale all around! Love y'all.

-Changer


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own King Arthur, only my ideas, my character, and this story you are reading.

Chapter 3:

K'tanya moved about the tavern that night with grace and skill just like she always did. Not too many advances had been made to her person, even though she still had to deal with a multitude of drunken men. It occurred to her that the only thing for men to do at night was to get drunk and sleep with random women. Thus was the wonderful and glorified life of living at a Roman outpost.

She let out a small, and somewhat unladylike curse as she was pulled into the lap of one very cocky, and almost very drunk Lancelot.

"Hello there." He purred in her ear. K'tanya nearly puked at the stench of ale on his breath.

"Please release me from your grasp." She asked politely and to no surprise, he didn't comply with her request.

"Why would I let a lovely woman like you leave?" he slurred. K'tanya was tempted to turn around and slap him, but decided not to considering he was a knight and drunk.

"I ask you again to release me." She stated, this time with a bit more force. She doubted Lancelot heard her as his began to roam and bit far up for comfort. Turning aside all her rules of dealing with drunk men, K'tanya turned in Lancelot's lap and slapped him. Instantly, he let go of her and she took that opportunity to scurry away from the table.

She moved through the crowd towards the back when she was pulled into yet another lap.

"Ello wench." A thoroughly drunk voice cooed in her ear. K'tanya stiffed as the Roman arm tightened around her waist and as the overwhelming smell of ale nearly made her pass out.

"Please release me." She inquired in a slightly annoyed tone completely fed up with advancements made on her this evening. The Roman merely laughed at her request so she made a move to stand.

"Where do you think you're going!" demanded the Roman in an overly loud voice as K'tanya was yanked back into his lap. She began to struggle in his lap before spinning around and slapping him as hard as she could. He released her and she took that chance to stand up, but she didn't make it far because he grabbed her by the arm and wrenched it behind her back as he turned her to face him. K'tanya couldn't help but give out a small cry of pain as she felt something pop.

"Let go of me!" she yelled hoping someone would hear her and help her out. She shut her eyes as she was spun about and collided with something solid before she no longer moved. Only then did she open her eyes to see Tristan holding a knife in his hand with a threatening look on his face. His other arm was wrapped around her shoulders and she was leaning against him. 

"Leave, now." The words came from Tristan's mouth like blades of eyes. The look in his eyes was enough to reduce any man to dust. The Roman stumbled backwards before bolting from the tavern at a drunken run. 

Tristan looked down at K'tanya who was still slightly shaken. When she felt his gaze upon her she looked up to meet his gaze. It was not cold, distant, or completely empty, but there was a slight hint of concern. Tristan stared down into the completely empty eyes of the girl he had just rescued. It was as if her body and spirit were severed from each other, so if her body was hurt her eyes would never show it.

"You alright?" he asked in a low tone. K'tanya nodded mutely before taking a step back and out of his protection.

"Thank you." She mumbled before dashing out of the tavern as people stood and watched the scene that had just unfolded.

She hurried along the darkened streets that were basically empty at the late hour. Her journey was halted as a large man grabbed her and slammed her into a wall. No words were spoken as hands roamed over her body and a pair of lips smashed against hers. She let out a whimper against her will and prayed she would be released.

Suddenly, the hands and lips were ripped away and she sunk to the ground as the sound of grunts and punches meeting skin reached her ears. Then the noise ended as soon as it had started.

Tristan turned to see K'tanya sitting on the ground shaking slightly. He moved over to her and kneeled down before reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. K'tanya flinched at the touch, but once she opened her eyes and met Tristan's gaze she felt perfectly safe. He grasped her hands and helped her stand and she gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, again." She murmured softly. Tristan rested his hand lightly on her shoulder and she could see a ghost of a smile on his face along with the concern she had noticed earlier.

"I told you to be careful." He reprimanded her in a lighter tone. K'tanya laughed as she shook her head slightly.

"I guess I'll just has to learn to obey." She muttered humorously before dashing off again this time reaching her quarters where she quickly bolted the door and tried to sort out what had just happened. She tried, but the only thing she could think of was that Tristan had protected her twice this evening.

a/n: Wow, three chapters in one day. Now I get to breathe (lol). Anyways, reviews are lovely so start reviewing. You get ale if you do, and a night with Lancelot for all you ladies. My longest chapter as of yet, so I hope you enjoyed it. And yes I am working on a title.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own King Arthur, only my ideas, original characters, and anything else you don't recognize. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Chapter 4:

"Vanora, what makes me unattainable?" It was the question that had been weighing on K'tanya's mind for the past week since she had heard the knights talk about her, and it was the first question out of her mouth as her and Vanora stood at the back of the tavern chatting.

"Why such a question?" inquired Vanora whose ears practically perked up at the thought of some good news. K'tanya gave a small shrug in attempt to make her 'news' appear less important and interesting.

"Just wondering. I overheard some men talking about how I was the most unattainable woman here at the wall."

"Well, rumor has it you've never gone to bed with a man before. Some say you have standards or that you're just too shy." Vanora explained. As an afterthought she asked, "Have you ever gone to bed with a man before?" Had K'tanya been drinking, she would have choked.

"Of course I have!" she exclaimed. "I've gone to bed with many men, too many to count if you want specifics." Vanora nearly swallowed her tongue at such a declaration from one so young, but K'tanya was a pretty woman so it wouldn't be too hard to imagine.

"Well then, I suppose your high standards are what make you unattainable." Vanora replied and K'tanya shook her head slightly.

"It's not that I have high standards, I just don't believe in going to bed with every man who looks my way." 

"So you're one who believes in that whole true love thing, eh?" questioned Vanora as she started to fill a tray with some ale.

"No, I don't believe in true love, or any type of love for that matter- at least not for myself. I see you and Bors together and I know that there has to be some type of love in the world, I just. . ." she trailed off leaving her sentence unfinished as she piled some food onto a tray.

"You just what?" Vanora encouraged the woman to say more, but K'tanya had fallen to silence, her eyes holding a distant look.

"Nothing." Not pressing the matter any further, the two women headed towards the table that the knights had unceremoniously claimed as there's. Vanora set the ale down before each man while K'tanya served them their food. She ignored the gaze of Lancelot and couldn't help but give a small smile at Gawain who had decided to help her serve the food.

"Thank you." She said in a small voice before scurrying off to serve other people. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

As the night lingered on, K'tanya observed how the knights drifted from each other. Lancelot was now gambling with two Roman soldiers and had a wench on his lap. Gawain and Galahad were having a knife-throwing contest, complete with at least three wenches who cheered them on. Dagonet and Bors were discussing 'business' as usual with Arthur merely laughing at his friends and Tristan had retreated into his dark corner where he could properly observe everyone and everything.

"K'tanya, Tristan needs more ale." Vanora's voice broke the reverie that she was in and K'tanya instantly grabbed a tankard of ale before heading over to Tristan's table. Her breath was almost snatched from her lungs as she stood in awe of the majestic hawk perched on Tristan's arm. She had seen it many times before, but never at such a close distance.

Sensing the presence of someone, Tristan's eyes darted up beneath his shaggy brown hair to see the girl he had a habit of running into standing before him. Seeing she was in a daze like state, he kicked the leg of the table, effectively knocking her out of her mind. K'tanya blinked her eyes rapidly and couple times before placing the tankard of ale on the table before Tristan.

"What's her name?" she inquired while gesturing to the hawk. After a minute or two passed by, she turned and left Tristan and his hawk to be by themselves.

"You were over there awhile." Observed Vanora as she handed her some more ale to serve.

"I wanted to know if his bird had a name, apparently he didn't want to talk to me." Vanora laughed at her friend before shoving her back into the nightly tavern crowd.

K'tanya moved about the tavern serving Roman soldiers and dodging hands on men until she thought she would either collapse from exhaustion or kill someone, whichever happened to come first.

She walked as close as she could to the wall without hitting any tables hoping to avoid the usual crowd that resided in the middle and more open area of the tavern. She saw one of the barmaids telling a man to release her and happened to pass by right as said girl pushed the Roman soldier backwards. The soldier collided with K'tanya who stumbled backwards into the shadows and landed very unceremoniously in the lap of a very rigid knight. 

Tavern life continued as normal as she turned in Tristan's lap to look at his face. His hawk had fluttered away in the commotion and K'tanya noticed he didn't look too pleased to have some girl fall into his lap.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in a rush as she moved to stand. A strong arm curved about her waist and prevented her from moving, at least upwards. She turned back to face Tristan whose eyes were burning holes into her own.

"Please release me." The request came out sounding like she was an injured animal and the arm about her waist instantly loosened, but still retained a firm grasp on her.

"I'm sorry for constantly running into or falling on you." She choked out as Tristan's eyes flashed with some emotion she couldn't quite grasp. "Please. . . release me." This time she had to choke out the request at the thought that she may be hurt at any moment. She flinched involuntarily as Tristan pressed his mouth up against her ear.

"Don't fear me." Came the rough and hushed words. The hand around her tightened slightly and K'tanya trembled. Tristan's other made it's way to the small of her back where it rested heavily.

"You have no reason to fear me." K'tanya nodded and managed to reply to his statement.

"I won't fear you." Instantly, the arm around her waist withdrew and she took the opportunity to stand and make her way back to the counter, but she didn't make it far. A hand shot out and captured her small wrist and she turned to see Tristan's eyes completely fixed on hers.

"My hawk's name is Havik." He stated in an almost inaudible tone. He abruptly released her wrist, stood, and walked past her. As he did so, the back of his hand brushed against hers and before she could so much as take a breath, he was gone.

As she walked back to the counter in the tavern she heard the knights all conversing, about her and Tristan.

"She'll fall for him, she's already attracted." Said Bors as he spared a glance her way.

"What about Tristan? He'd mostly likely kill her if he tried to love her." Commented Lancelot who received a couple agreements. An outsider, more specifically a Roman soldier put in his two cents as he passed by.

"Nah, that Etalon girl won't go for anyong. She's as empty and broken as an old vase." A passing woman put in her two cents as well.

"She's a slave some say. Can't leave this fort because of her master." Dagonet looked at the knights for a moment before he caught K'tanya's gaze.

"They have something in common, neither of them have freedom." That statement puzzled K'tanya, but it gave her hope anyways. Hope for what, she didn't know, but it gave it anyway.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

a/n: Two pints of ale to Izz for reviewing and a big thanks to the rest of you who reviewed. Just to clear this up real quick, the knights have two years of service left, K'tanya is 26 and Tristan is 28. So yeah. Don't worry, more info on K'tanya's past shall be coming soon for those of you who were wondering. The mass majority is going to come out in a few chapters since she needs to make buddy buddy with the knights before this happens and that happens and then she gets to tell the tale. Okay, now review.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: (last time I write this.) I do not own King Arthur or anything you recognize. What you don't recognize either belongs to history or my seriously twisted mind.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Chapter 5:

K'tanya walked about the dusty roads of the Roman fort on the unusually sunny day enjoying herself completely. She, however, wasn't walking around aimlessly. Her destination in mind was the paddock where the horses had been set to run in today after being cooped up during the cold and wet weather the fort had been experiencing lately.

After greeting more than a dozen people and stopping to help a few others, K'tanya finally reached the paddock and wasted no time hoisting herself up onto the fence. She watched the powerful Sarmatian horses graze, run, and relax in the field and envied them for their freedom- or at least the freedom to breath easily on a day like today. K'tanya, however, had no such luck as she still had to avoid men who wanted her in their beds.

A small sound of movement alerted K'tanya to the fact that someone had leaned against the fence and that that person, was incredibly close to her. She cast her gaze down beside her and saw none other than Tristan leaning against the fence less than three inches from her person. Her breath hitched in her throat and a moment passed before he noticed her staring, or at least chose to acknowledge it.

"I can go if you want me to." She stated calmly even though her stomach was doing somersaults and her heart was beating at a rapid rate. She didn't know why, but apparently her vital organs had minds of their own. 

Tristan shook his head slightly at her suggestion and he resumed watching to horses. A small bit of annoyance flared up inside K'tanya at the man's silence, or what she was tempted to dub as rudeness.

"Which horse is yours?" she inquired hoping against the universe he would reply. He did, but not verbally which was what she had been hoping for. Instead, Tristan merely pointed to a beautiful dapple-gray that was running around the paddock. K'tanya had no choice to gaze in awe at the majestic war horse.

"What is his name?" came yet another question. K'tanya had a feeling she should stop talking now or else she would end up injured, but she didn't really feel like listening to her logical side today.

"Ahoyo." Came the curt reply. K'tanya was silent for a moment as she continued to watch the horses relax.

"Is it difficult to ride a horse?" K'tanya didn't bother to look at Tristan as she asked this question, so she completely missed the look on his face that almost asked, "have you never ridden a horse before?"

Instead, "no", was the reply she received and K'tanya heaved a small sigh at the man's terrible ability of making conversation with someone who wasn't feathered or hoofed. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice Tristan had climbed over the fence until his large and calloused hand grabbed her smaller one and pulled her off the fence.

"What are you doing?" she demanded as he led her towards the middle of the paddock where the horses had decided wasn't a good grazing area. Tristan's only reply was a short whistle that resulted in Ahoyo making his way towards them. That's when it clicked inside K'tanya's mind. . . Tristan was going to have her ride a horse.

"Um, I think I should be going." She tried to excuse herself and pull away, but Tristan only pulled her closer. His gaze leveled with hers and he noted for once her eyes actually held emotion. A slight tinge of fear was readable in her eyes and his heart gave an uncomfortable lurch.

"I said don't fear me." Came the monotone statement.

"Fear, not trust." The retort was like a knife that struck the scout in the perfect area. He didn't know why he wanted her to trust him, he just knew it hurt that she didn't.

"So trust me." For once Tristan didn't speak with a cold and practically dead voice. K'tanya noted that his eyes and his voice were asking her to trust him in a silent and subdued manner. Her brows furrowed in confusion at his odd behavior and she couldn't help but look away. That was all Tristan needed to know as he slowly released her hand. He moved to walk away when K'tanya spun about and grasped his hand in hers.

"I'll trust you." She whispered ever so softly. Tristan could still see a small bit of fear, but was willing to believe she would hold true to her word. 

Ahoyo, now impatient, stamped his foot on the ground as he waited for the humans before him to hurry up and make up their minds. K'tanya let out a small laugh at the horse and Tristan allowed a ghost of a smile to flit across his features momentarily, unseen by K'tanya. He guided her over to the horse and instructed her to grasp his mane gently. Once she had a hold of the horse and had placed her foot in Tristan's hands, Tristan boosted her up and she swung her leg over gracefully as if she had ridden a horse all her life.

"Now-" Tristan began as he prepared to lead the horse around the paddock only to be interrupted by K'tanya.

"Will you ride with me?" she asked with a childlike innocence. Tristan observed her for a moment before coming to the conclusion that she did in fact trust him and that her only fear lie in falling. Nodding his head slightly, Tristan mounted the large horse easily and placed his arms about K'tanya.

"Thank you." Her soft and gentle words made Tristan tighten his grip around her as he nudged Ahoyo into a trot. 

In a matter of ten minutes, Tristan and K'tanya were cantering around the paddock and the latter was laughing gaily while her long, sable hair fluttered in the wind like a banner. Tristan kept a firm hold on her not wanting to lose the beauty that was now in his grasp.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Thank you Tristan." K'tanya said as she and the scout placed Ahoyo in his stall. 

"When I was a little girl I used to ride like that with my father, although I don't recall him holding me quite as tightly." She teased the knight playfully as he brushed down his steed. Tristan could feel and tried to hinder the warmth that was growing both inside him and on the back of his neck.

"It was nothing." He muttered. K'tanya tilted her head to the side like a puppy before moving to stand beside him and placing her hand over his. Tristan's eyes darted to the woman who looked like an innocent angel with her head all cocked to the side.

"To me it was something." Tristan had heard K'tanya whisper before, but never in such a way as she had just now. Just now, it sounded more like how a woman would speak to her lover in the middle of the night.

His eyes wandered about her face taking in her appearance as she quietly waited for him to speak. Her dark hair was wind blown from the ride and a few delicate and soft curls hung gracefully along side her face. Her lips were turned up slightly in the corners as if she had just heard a wonderful secret. But what captured him the most were her eyes that were usually so dull and lifeless. As of right now, they held what looked like a muted light. Like the sun trying to break through the clouds on a sunny day. It was like K'tanya was trying to suppress everything. Her appearance, coupled with the fact that she was the first woman not to throw herself at Tristan made her almost irresistible. It was almost like she was begging Tristan to take her in his arms and kiss her, and Tristan was willing to comply.

He took a step towards her and wrapped his free hand around her waist, resting it on the small of her back before taking the hand on his and placing it on his chest. By now K'tanya was certain her heart had stopped beating as Tristan now used his newly made free hand to draw her face closer by burying it in her silky tresses. They were so close now that K'tanya was certain he could hear her heart beat, or maybe even feel it. Tristan leaned towards her and came so close he could feel her light-breathing dance across his face. K'tanya's heart skipped a beat as his beard tickled her face.

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed a voice as a large crash reached K'tanya and Tristan's ears causing them to break apart. They heard scuffling, more swearing, and by that time they had identified the voice as Lancelot in the company of Gawain. 

K'tanya walked out of the stall with every intention of leaving when a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist and pulled her backwards into a solid chest. She unknowingly placed her hand atop the one now resting on her abdomen as Tristan's other hand slid down the length of her free arm and grasped her hand. K'tanya couldn't help but lean back into him as his beard brushed against her exposed collar bone. 

What seemed like an eternity passed before a soft kiss was placed right behind her ear sending immense shivers up and down her spine. Her mind went hazy for a moment and when it had cleared, she was standing alone in the stables and managed to leave without Lancelot and Gawain noticing her.

As she walked back to the tavern to prepare for her evening shift, K'tanya couldn't help but wander back to that moment in time when Tristan had been as gentle with her as a woman with a rose.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

a/n: I'd really like to know what you all think, especially if you think Tristan is a bit OOC and K'tanya a bit of a Mary-Sue. I need constructive feed back. And thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far. By the way, Havik (the hawk's name) is actually Dutch for Hawk. Ahoyo is Greek for horse, K'tanya's name has no meaning and de la Etalon is French for of the Stallion. And the other names that shall pop up later will be given meanings later on. So yeah. Now that I have a few chapters done, title suggestions would be lovely since I'm still coming up blank.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"K'tanya, go home. You've been here every night for the past three months and you need a break." This is the reason K'tanya was given as she was shoved out of the tavern by Vanora. The fact that the tavern owner agreed with Vanora made it even more impossible for her to weasel her way back in.

So with nothing else to do, K'tanya made her way to the stables where she quickly climbed into the hayloft and settled down in a wonderfully mussed pile. As she lie there looking out the small, but still rather large window, she thought about the events of the past two and a half weeks, or at least all the events that involved Tristan.

She couldn't understand why, but all she could think about was Tristan. He hadn't even kissed her, well he had, but only behind her ear. They had gone riding together, they had had was Lancelot commonly referred to as a "moment" and he has kissed her by the ear for a split second. Either he was the right guy for her or she was just entirely desperate. She really hoped it wasn't the latter. 

The stable doors open and K'tanya froze as she heard someone climbing up the ladder. If it was Jols, that was fine, if it was someone else, that wouldn't be good. She sat up slowly to see who it was and she was pleasantly relieved to see Tristan standing there bathed in the moonlight.

"You startled me." She stated as she lay back down on the hay. Tristan made no movement or sound, he just remained looking at her.

"Tristan, is something wrong?" Worry was beginning to worm it's way inside K'tanya's mind, but she quickly pushed it away.

"You weren't at the tavern." A moment of pause followed. "Are you avoiding me?" K'tanya bolted upright at this statement and quickly got to her feet.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed as she moved over to him. "Vanora exiled me from the tavern for the evening since I've been there every night for the past three months. Or at least that's the more poetical version." She muttered that last part as she laced her fingers with his.

"Why did you think I was avoiding you?" this question came out as a hurt whisper and fell upon Tristan's ears making him regret even thinking of such a thing.

"Because of today." Came the equally quiet reply. Tristan's gaze focused on the world outside the window up to the point where K'tanya placed her hand on the side of his face and forced him to look at her.

"We had fun today. I enjoyed myself and I'm sure you did too. Why would that be any reason to avoid you?" The look in Tristan's eyes told K'tanya that the riding part of the day was not what he had been referring too.

"Oh." Came the soft reply. This time K'tanya was the one who looked away, or down in this case. Her hand fell from Tristan's face as her mind tried to understand why he thought she had been avoiding him. They had only kissed. Well, they hadn't even really done that.

"I shouldn't have said that." Tristan said, his deep voice causing K'tanya to give a short tremble. Tristan cupped her face with his hand and lifted her head until she had no choice but to look at him.

"I shouldn't have held you. . . touched you like I did." K'tanya was sure, but she could have sworn Tristan sounded remorseful about his earlier 'actions'.

"Don't apologize." Replied K'tanya in a disguised tone of annoyance. Tristan shook his head before meeting her gaze again.

"I shouldn't-" He was cut off by K'tanya's forefinger being pressed against his lips as she stepped even closer to him. Their bodies were now flush against each other and she cocked her head to the side like she had earlier.

"What you _shouldn't _have done was left before you kissed me." Tristan tried to state that he had kissed her, but K'tanya wouldn't let him get a word out.

"I mean kissed me properly." K'tanya lowered her finger from his lips and rested her hand on his chest in the same position it had been in earlier.

"You can apologize for not kissing me properly." Her voice had dropped to a lower tone as she said this and Tristan felt his breath hitch in his throat.

"How?" His voice was thick and heavy as he spoke that single word and K'tanya tilted her head upwards more.

"Kiss me." It was no more than a breath on the wind, but Tristan heard it as if it were thunder. Before K'tanya could blink, Tristan had buried his hand in her hair and their lips crashed together as they became lost in a world only the two of them knew about.

When K'tanya and Tristan pulled apart they were lying on the hay that K'tanya had occupied what seemed like hours ago. Both of them were breathless and Tristan had rested his forehead against hers.

"I've wanted to do that since I first saw you." He murmured huskily sending a shiver up K'tanya's spine. She moved her body down more so she could look up into his eyes and smiled.

"I never knew the great scout could be such a lover. I wonder what your brother in arms would say if they knew?" she playfully teased with both with words and by gently tugging on one of his braids.

"You wouldn't." It was a request or a question, it was a complete command. K'tanya stiffened at the tone he used and Tristan instantly regretted it.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that." He nuzzled her ear gently almost like a horse would when seeking affection. The reward for such actions was K'tanya's melodic laughter filling the hayloft.

"How long do you think we've been up here?" she asked suddenly. Tristan sighed and looked her in the eyes.

"Does it matter?" Another peal of laughter came from her as she shook her head. 

"No, I suppose it doesn't. But-" that was all Tristan needed to hear before he reclaimed her lips with his and the two were lost in their own world. As the kissed fervently, Tristan's hand met the bare skin of K'tanya's abdomen along with a scar that was so long, it vanished beneath her breeches and went so far upwards, Tristan would not follow it's path for the sake of touching areas private to a woman. 

As his hand traced the area of the scar that he could, K'tanya froze. Tristan withdrew and observed her by the light of the moon. He could now clearly seen multiple scars on her abdomen all of varying lengths.

"K'tanya." Tristan nearly choked on her name as he tried to force it out of his mouth. Before he could ask what the scars were from, she had already smoothed her tunic down and was sitting up and preparing to leave. 

Tristan's hands shot out and grasped her shoulders and he forced her to look at him.

"What. . .who-who did this to you?" he finally managed to force out. K'tanya couldn't bear te face him so she turned away.

"It's from my past, from a long time ago." She whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Tell me." K'tanya could only shake her head. "You trust me, so tell me." Again she didn't reply. What seemed like hours passed before she finally faced him.

"I trust you Tristan, but I can't tell you. Not. . . not yet." Another tear rolled down her cheek and this time Tristan wiped it away gently.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, I'm sorry to have upset you." Tristan soothed as he wrapped his arms around her. K'tanya snuggled up to him as close as she could before burrowing her head into his shoulder.

"There's something. . ." she trailed off for a moment until Tristan raised her head to face him.

"Tell me." He murmured in the depths of the night.

"There's something I need to show you." K'tanya sat up straight putting some distance between her and Tristan and she proceeded to roll up her sleeve. Tristan could hardly contain the anger and rage that flowed through him as he saw the scars running up and down her arms. Some marks were even burns.

K'tanya faced Tristan and saw him staring at her arm.

"Another time I'll explain." The answer seemed to suffice for now for he returned his attention to her face. K'tanya turned her arm so the inside was exposed. Amid the scars and burns was a perfect tattoo, completely unscarred. It was of a golden sunset with a beautiful stallion running across a field with a hawk soaring above it. Tristan instantly recognized the different elements of the tattoo.

"The stallion. . . your family name." he stated as he lightly traced the tattoo sending jolts of electricity up K'tanya's spine.

"The sun is your rank. . . you're of noble birth." K'tanya nodded at this statement and waited for him to state the final element of her tattoo.

"And the hawk. . ." at this Tristan raised his eyes to meet hers and she gave him a soft smile.

"You're from Sarmatia." The statement came out like a question and K'tanya nodded.

"I'm the chief's daughter from the tribe of Aoni." She stated before withdrawing her arm and rolling down her sleeve. "Do you hate me for not telling you?" Tristan replied by lying down on the hay and pulling her close beside him.

"I could never hate you K'tanya." He murmured in her ear before placing a gentle kiss on her neck. 

The two of them remained that way throughout the night and K'tanya hoped that Tristan wouldn't hate her after he knew her full story.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

a/n: Wow, six chapters in like, maybe 32 hours or something. I feel so accomplished. Thanks for all of the lovely reviews I've been receiving. No one has suggested a title yet so I'm still waiting. Anyways, I'd appreciate it if you guys reviewed and if someone could tell me if they had chocolate and strawberries back then that would be awesome. (Long story, so if they did have chocolate and strawberries you'll read a chapter with that in it.)

Loves,

Changer


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

K'tanya swayed back and forth to the music now filling the tavern. It had been a few days since her midnight moment with Tristan and she still remembered waking up alone. It had hurt, but she had gotten over it after Vanora told her Tristan had had to go scouting early that day. Even after he had returned, she hadn't had the opportunity to talk to him. She was now nearing the fifth day of not speaking or even seeing him except for in the tavern.

The tempo of the music quickened and K'tanya had no choice but to be impressed by the skill of the musicians. A visiting Roman lord or something along those lines was visiting the fort and he had brought along his musicians. 

"You look like a dancer." K'tanya spun about to see Lancelot standing behind her with a grin on his face. She gave him a small smile and laughed.

"I'm not dancer, I just like the music." She stated, but that wasn't exactly the answer Lancelot was looking for, and he told her just that.

"That wasn't really the reply I was looking for. What I had in mind was you and I dancing." K'tanya's jaw dropped at such a blatant statement.

"I didn't know you dance." She retorted trying to conceal her complete shock. Lancelot gripped his heart dramatically feigning absolute injury.

"That hurt Tani." K'tanya froze as that nickname rolled off his tongue and her eyes widened in fear. She didn't even realize she had been backing up and shaking until she walked right into Tristan who had been on his way to tell Lancelot to leave her alone.

As his arms wrapped about her she jumped and let out a small scream that stopped the music and turned almost every head in the tavern. She turned in his arms with panic and sheer terror written over her face, but it wasn't Tristan she saw in her minds eye, it was someone else.

"Let, let me go." She stuttered as she tried to pry herself from his grasp. Tristan released her in utter confusion and slightly hurt thinking she feared him.

"K'tanya, what's wrong?" he inquired as he tried to reach for her again. K'tanya stepped backwards slapping his hands away as she did so before bolting out of the tavern as if the devil himself was chasing after her.

Her heart was pounding in her ears and she felt like she was burning from the inside out. Everything faded away as she ran aimlessly around the fort, she didn't even know why she was running she just knew she had to run. Her running came to an abrupt halt as she slammed into Tristan whose arms instantly embraced her and held her close.

"NO! Let me go!" K'tanya's voice reverberated off the cold walls of the building surrounding them.

"K'tanya, K'tanya it's me." Tristan's voice caught in his throat as he saw the fear racing across her face.

"Arius please! Please let me go!" This caught Tristan's attention and K'tanya began to wail on him with strong punches. She wasn't fighting him she was fighting something from her past.

"K'tanya, you're safe. I'm not going to hurt you. Please." This was whispered in her ear and something inside K'tanya was beaten back. She became limp in his arms as tears streamed down her face.

"I'm sorry. . . so sorry. . . please-"

"There is no need to apologize." Interrupted Tristan as he picked her up in his arms and started towards her quarters. He was thankful for the fact she could not see the murderous glint that now harbored in his eyes. Someone had hurt her, someone named Arius. And by God, Tristan was going to make that man suffer for hurting her.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

a/n: I know that was short, but I had to go so I wanted to put something up real quick. Anyways, history shall be coming soon on K'tanya so stayed tune. ;) Thanks for all of you who explained the history of chocolate to me, it was really great of you all. Another thanks to those who gave title suggestions and to Nikki- K'tanya's last name (de la Etalon) is actually French and the history on that name shall be coming soon. So yeah. Please review.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Chapter 8:

K'tanya walked along the top of the wall observing the world as it was bathed in the beautiful glow of the moon. The chilled wind nipped at her nose and tossed about her hair like a ribbon in the wind. She gave a small shake before she was enveloped in strong and very warm arms.

"Hello Tristan." She whispered as she spun about in said man's arms and smiled.

"You shouldn't be out here alone." Came his abrupt reply and K'tanya couldn't help but grin even more at his 'concern.'

"I'm not alone, I have you." She retorted and his grip tightened.

"There are dangerous men about, you need to be careful." He muttered darkly. K'tanya let out a small laugh as she stroked his beard playfully.

"Now Tristan, I'm quite certain Lancelot doesn't qualify as dangerous so long as I don't succumb to his irresistible charms." She batted her eyelashes playfully and let out another giggle. Tristan's arms tightened about her more until a dark look crossed his features and he abruptly let her go and vanished off the wall.

She didn't know why, but she seemed to have a wonderful knack for annoying Tristan and getting him to become jealous. K'tanya just hoped he wouldn't get mad at her one day.

K'tanya turned back to the world that was now completely bathed in moonlight and she couldn't help but heave a small sigh. In the distance, or at least a distance not too far, there was a group of shadows that appeared to be dancing. Upon closer examination, K'tanya identified them as people painted blue who were running a quite a quick pace.

"Oh no." she gasped as everything suddenly clicked. They were Woads and they headed straight for the fort. The next thought that crossed her mind was, '_I need to find Arthur.' _And before she breath another breath, K'tanya was running down the steps and towards the tavern where she hoped she could find Arthur, or at least one of the knights.

& & & & &

"Vanora!" she cried as she latched arms with her friend who was extremely confused by the flustered girl before her.

"Where' Arthur?" she demanded and Vanora pointed in the general direction of the Table Room.

"Him and the knights are having a meeting at the Round Table." She managed to get out before K'tanya sped off throwing a quick, "thank you" over her shoulder as she did so.

K'tanya ran past a few individuals until she reached the Table Room only to be stopped by Jols.

"No, no, you don't understand. I need to see Arthur." She said for the tenth time as she tried to get past Jols. Finally, she decided to find another way to go and took a step backwards straight into something very solid. A pair of hands steadied her and she turned about to see none other than Arthur standing behind her and all the knights behind him.

"Why do you need to see me?" he inquired of her and K'tanya tried to think of a poetical version to give him. No such luck.

"There is a group of Woads approaching the wall as we speak." She said in a rush. 

"Show me." Came the command and soon all the knights and Arthur were following K'tanya as she led them all at a run towards the wall. However, when they arrived, there was nothing to be seen.

"They were here, I saw them, I swear I did." K'tanya declared in disbelief that they had vanished.

"Must have been your imagination." Teased Lancelot as the knights and Arthur began to walk back down the stairs. K'tanya had just made it to the top step when an eerie feeling came over her.

"Arthur." She whispered as she spun about slowly. There, crouching on the wall, was a Woad who possessed a feral and murderous look on his face. In the blink of an eye, he had lunged at K'tanya with every intention of killing her. In equal quickness, K'tanya produced a sai and plunged it into the man's gut. She removed the oriental dagger from the now corpse just into time to be pushed down the stairs and more Woads came climbing over the wall.

"Alert the soldiers!" shouted Arthur before he engaged in combat with a Woad. K'tanya was on her feet instantly and bolted to the tavern where she found a surprisingly large amount of sober Romans.

"Arthur. . . Woads. . .wall under attack. . ." she managed to gasp out while pointing in the right direction. Roman soldiers instantly ran to the aid of the knights while Jols asked Vanora and K'tanya to come to the Table Room.

& & & & &

What seemed like an eternity passed before the knights and Arthur entered the room bloody and a bit beaten, but alive nonetheless.

"What happened?" demanded K'tanya as soon as they sat down. Dagonet, whom she was sitting beside, patted her arm in reassurance that all questions would be answered.

"Apparently the Woads came to assassinate a Roman official who arrived at the fort recently." Explained Arthur as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"He is a very high ranking official and a friend on mine." He continued. K'tanya nodded in thanks at his answer and Arthur flashed her a small smile.

A clanging and stomping came from outside the doors before they were thrust open and in came a very rich and very pompous looking Roman who had his own little dispatch of personal soldiers. Eveyone around the Round Table stood, except for K'tanya who remained sitting. The man's gaze drifted across each person present like a hawk and Tristan felt a possessive spirit overcome him when the man's gaze landed on K'tanya. But it wasn't a gaze of observance it was a gaze of lust and familiarity. 

"Hello Tani." Came the somewhat ridiculous sounding voice. Tristan noted how K'tanya stiffened at the name and he made a mental note never to call her that.

"Hello Arius." Instantly, Tristan's murderous attitude returned as he now knew who caused K'tanya her pain. None of the knights present could miss the feeling that was surrounding their brother in arms and it reduced them all to silence. Except for, of course, Galahad who couldn't help but ask the question that was going to change some things at the fort.

"You know each other?" What was even worse was that K'tanya felt obliged to reply with a very straightforward answer.

"Yes. Arius Daius is the man who abducted me from my family in Sarmatia." Yes would have been enough. The last statement, and the fact that she admitted to her Sarmatian heritage, made each and every knight adopt a vengeful feeling towards the Roman before them- if they didn't already have one to begin with.

& & & & &

a.n: Well, I watched King Arthur tonight (or like ¾) and I still remember why I don't like it. Mind you, it'd be awesome if Dag, Tris, and Lance hadn't died. So yeah. Another chapter up, I have a good bit of tomorrow to type (wait it is tomorrow since it's 1 am) so hopefully I get another chapter or two up. I worked some things out for my story while writing, so things will start to flow once I get in a filler or two. Reviews are lovely and a big thanks to all of you faithful reviewers of mine. ;) You guys rock. Well, time for me to hit the hay. Night y'all.

-Changer


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Chapter 9:

What seemed like an eternity passed before Arius turned to Arthur and spoke.

"Arthur, I would like to speak with you about some matters at hand." After a brief pause, he added "alone" to his request.

"I keep no secrets from my men." Came the predictable reply. Lancelot noted Arius' uneasiness, so he addressed his fellow knights at the women who were present.

"Come, let's leave Roman business to Romans." Everyone was more than eager to get away from Arius, especially K'tanya who probably wouldn't have been able to walk out of the room had it not been for Dagonet's strong arm holding her up.

Once everyone let the Table Room, everyone divided into groups or pairs and went their own ways. K'tanya and Tristan ended up together and the latter wasted no time in burying his hand in her hair and engulfing her in his arms.

"I can't believe he's here." She whispered in a choked voice. K'tanya swore, or at least believed, that she was never going to see Arius again. So much for a false reality. 

"Come, let me take you to your room." K'tanya merely nodded before Tristan led her to her quarters never once releasing the hold he had on her. He led her to her room and stood patiently outside the door until she was settled in bed before he made his move to leave.

"Will you stay with me?" the question was accompanied by a delicate hand being wrapped around his wrist. Tristan stared down at the wrist that was so heavily scarred and couldn't believe that a hand that had killed only a short while ago could be so gentle and helpless in the blink of an eye.

"Please? Normally I wouldn't ask, but since Arius is at the fort and-" she didn't get the chance to finish as Tristan removed his boots, vest, and assorted collection of weapons before sliding into bed next to her. Her head was instantly resting upon his chest and his arms wrapped about her protectively.

"Sleep." He whispered in her ear and she nodded slowly. Tristan remained completely still until he heard her breathing even out and he knew she fell asleep. Once that happened, he adjusted himself slightly so he was facing the door with a knife in his hand just to be safe. No one was going to hurt the woman in his arms.

& & & & &

The next day went by with no sign of Arius and for that K'tanya was immensely thankful. Due to the fact that Arius was at the fort, Vanora had forced K'tanya to come to the tavern so she and the knights could keep a close eye on her. Like K'tanya would want to be anywhere else.

"So who is this Arius fellow, hmm? Some past lover?" inquired Lancelot of the woman sitting across from him at a regular tavern table. K'tanya cocked an eyebrow at him and smiled.

"Lancelot, why is it that when some man shows up you instantly assume he is here searching for some past lover? Afraid one of your wenches is a married woman?" Roars of laughter came from the table and K'tanya couldn't help but laugh along as Lancelot turned beat red.

"I like this girl." Proclaimed Bors in a slightly drunk voice. "We keep this girl." Dagonet placed a large hand on K'tanya's shoulder and nodded with a smile.

"Of course we have to keep her. We have to protect her too or else Tristan will have our heads." Stated Gawain in good humor. K'tanya felt a warmth growing up the back of her neck at the mention of Tristan and the only one who noticed was Dagonet, good thing too.

"But really, who is he?" asked Lancelot getting back to the matter at hand.

"He's just a man from my past." Came the simple answer.

"The one who took you from Sarmatia." Galahad said filling in some blanks. K'tanya merely nodded.

"What tribe are you from?" wondered Dagonet and K'tanya rolled up her sleeve to show them the tattoo and in the process, her scars.

"She's from the Aoni tribe." Tristan's quick answer received everyone's attention as he took his seat beside K'tanya.

"You see these scars?" she asked the rhetorical while showing everyone the scars on her arm. Everyone nodded.

"There are marks like this all over my body, Arius is the one who made the majority of them." Upon this statement, K'tanya found her arm being examined by Dagonet. His fingers trailed over some scars, but came to a halt at a very interesting looking wound.

"Was this cauterized?" he asked and K'tanya nodded.

"Arius would heat a knife and then cut me, cauterizing the wound in the process." She didn't miss the slight shake that a few of the knights were prone to feeling at the thought of such a thing being done.

"Did you scream?" inquired Gawain who had anger building inside his being. K'tanya shook her head, but then nodded.

"The first couple of times yes, but after that I started to tune the pain out. He wasn't torturing me for the sake of seeing my body broke, he was torturing me because hearing my screams was what pleased him- so I took that away." Every knight at the table now had a very high respect for the lady before them, even if she was keeping some things hidden.

Hands came about her waist and yanked her back with such a force she swore that her head would topple from her neck. The knights were instantly on their feet grabbing weapons and preparing to kill anyone who got in their way.

"Let me go!" K'tanya exclaimed as she tried to wriggle out of her captor's grasp. He was a Roman, she could tell that, and a sober one at that. She repeated her demanded as she dug her elbow into his cut. The man doubled over and she made a move to run to the safety of the knights, but the fell of cold steel on her throat made her stop.

"Arius, what are you doing!" demanded Arthur who had just entered the tavern. K'tanya watched as Arius stepped before her and grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Taking back what is mine." At this statement, protest arose from the knights were look rather intimidating from K'tanya's point of view.

"K'tanya does not belong to you." Argued Tristan as he spun his scimitar expertly in his hand. Arius turned to the man, gave him a malicious grin before turning back to K'tanya.

"Why of course she does, she was branded as my property." Arius nodded to the man who was holding the knife to her neck and he began to roll up her other tunic sleeve.

"She was so used to closing her eyes and tuning out all the pain that she didn't notice that I had branded her." Arius turned and faced Arthur now and gave him another sick grin. "I came to the fort to retrieve the skin I branded and leave." At this, something inside K'tanya snapped and Tristan watched as the lethal woman emerged from the delicate being everyone saw.

In movements so quick you could not blink unless you wished to miss them, K'tanya had disarmed the guard, stole his knife, and rolled her sleeve up the rest of the way to reveal a gruesome looking brand. Arius smiled at her and signaled for his other guards.

"I see some spark has returned to you over the years. Hopefully now you'll be a bit more lively in bed." Yet another crime against their Sarmatian sister was revealed to the knights and they stepped forth to intercept the advancing guards. 

K'tanya, on the other hand, took the knife she had taken and dug it into her flesh like a carpenter with his tools. People in the tavern watched as she slowly traced the outline of the brand and with a flick of her wrist, that area of skin was removed and fell into her open hand drenched in her own blood. Taking a deep breath as blood flowed from the wound, she walked towards Arius with a look that said, "I dare you to move." Arius, was not one who would take that dare. She grasped his hand and shoved the branded skin into his palm before closing his fingers about it.

"There's your branded skin." She stated with hatred in her voice. "Now leave." She released his hand and headed towards the exit of the tavern when a mumbled voice saying, "whore", reached her ears. 

In one fluid motion, she spun about and threw the knife in her hand with deadly accuracy and watched as it lodged itself in Arius' boot, right between his toes. She swooned on her feet slightly, before turning again and disappearing while Arthur and the knights made certain that Arius left the fort as quick as possible.

& & & & &

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tristan demanded as he sat beside K'tanya and ran a hand lightly over her bandaged arm.

"I didn't want you to think of me as worthless and leave." she replied ashamed. Tristan placed his arm about her as well as a kiss to her temple. She leaned into him and let out a sigh sensing he wanted the full tale.

"It was 13 years ago, just after the boys had been taken to serve Rome. A Roman infantry was making its' way to some place I can't remember the name of." She let out a small laugh at this before continuing. "They wanted woman, woman to be their little playthings." At this statement, there was a swear word uttered from the doorway and K'tanya noticed all the knights standing at her bedroom door.

"You can all come in." she stated and with no need to be told twice, all the knights and Arthur came in and made themselves comfortable as she continued her tale.

"No one wanted to go with them or give up their children, so they took who they could. I just happened to be the only girl out of five who made it through the first night. All the other girls died of fear."

"How old were you?" questioned Dagonet from his spot by the fireplace.

"I was 13. I had just received my tattoo the day they came and took me away. I was made into their sex slave, their toy that they could do whatever with. Arius was the one with me the most since he was the commander of that band of men. During the day I was forced to do the jobs no one wanted to do, I did the work of a soldier. And at night I was the little toy that was passed from tent to tent where there were no rules on what happened to me." Tristan's arm tightened about her and a small tear ran down her cheek.

"When I was 23, they attacked a band of Woads and took a couple young girls to be their new toys. Arius had some men dump me in a ditch after a very bad beating and they left me for dead. I lied there for three days until a man came by and found me. His name was Kay de la Fleur, a Gaul who was traveling from Hadrian's wall. He took care of me, helped me relearn how to fight and gave me a new name to start a new life with. So I stopped being K'tanya of Sarmatia, or Tani as those Roman dogs called me, and I became K'tanya de la Etalon. I learned to speak the language of the Gauls and I became one myself. Three years later I'm here at Hadrian's wall with all of you." The tears had now stopped flowing and she heaved a sigh as she leaned deeper into Tristan's embrace.

"Any questions?" came the sleepy inquire and all the knights shook their heads. They all stood and filed out of the room quietly leaving Tristan to place her in her bed.

"Stay." Came the mumbled demand and Tristan obliged. His arms sought their way about K'tanya and she smiled against his chest.

"Thank you for telling me." He whispered in her ear. K'tanya nodded sluggishly as sleep began to come over her.

"I trust you completely." She managed to say before sleep came and over took her.

Tristan watched her sleep in his arms and he couldn't help but to be amazed by her. Just the other night she had been screaming in terror about some man who had harmed her and now tonight, she had dealt with said man and told her tale only with a few tears being shed. She truly was an amazing woman, and Tristan wasn't going to give her up at all.

& & & & &

a.n: A big thanks to everyone who keeps reviewing and huge thanks to the lovely person who reviews and sends me a message. You don't have to do that, but I want to thank you for doing it because it makes me feel really happy. Anyways, the story shall start rolling a bit more since I just had to get this little part out of the way. So now you know about her past and now you get to review and tell me what you thought. Loves.

-Changer


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Chapter 10:

K'tanya swung her feet back and forth lazily as she sat on one of the stall walls in the stable. Ahoyo gave a short whinny before resting his enormous head on her lap causing her to give a small giggle.

"For a powerful war horse you can be as gentle as a kitten." She teased and Ahoyo shoved his head into her stomach sending her falling backwards into the arms of a very pleased looking Lancelot.

"I think you insulted him, but feel free to do that as much as you want so long as it's my arms you fall into." K'tanya swatted him upside the head and removed herself from his grasp before making her way over to Tristan and his grasp.

"Play nice." She whispered in his ear noticing the threatening look he had on his face. Tristan relaxed and she flashed him a lovely smile to thank him for his cooperation. 

"Are we going to ask her or just stand about here looking pretty all day?" questioned Gawain from his horses' stall. K'tanya's head snapped up from its' resting place on Tristan's chest and she looked around at everyone.

"Ask me what?" she demanded.

"What makes you think we're talking about you?" retorted Lancelot as he walked to his horses'.

"Considering the fact I'm the only woman here I could only assume you were referring to me. Unless of course you deem yourself a woman Lancelot." The statement itself and the calm manner she said it in caused everyone knight, except Lancelot, to laugh loudly. Even Tristan gave a small chuckle at the comment that had been produced from the woman in her arms. If she was ever engaged in battle, she could always beat the enemy with her smart mouth.

"We were wondering if you would like to go for a ride with us outside the wall." Galahad explained as he prepared his own horse. "Tristan even has a horse for you." At this, K'tanya turned and looked up at the silent knight who nodded to her in confirmation.

"Sounds like fun, so long as Lancelot doesn't ride next to me." More howls of laughter followed as Tristan led K'tanya to a beautiful white horse that looked like it could crush her without trying.

"You sure that thing won't kill me?" she questioned and Tristan nodded.

"He is perfectly safe." said Tristan in reassurance. K'tanya smiled at him before leading the horse out of his stall and into the center of the stables where the other knights were mounting their horses.

"He's as gentle as a kitten." Teased Lancelot who was about to mount his steed. Apparently, K'tanya's horse didn't like that and he promptly head butted Lancelot who fell into an empty stall.

"That horse is a demon!" he exclaimed and everyone was in an uproar of laughter in an instant. K'tanya smiled at her horse and Tristan leaned down from Ahoyo to whisper in her ear.

"His name is Vrijheid." K'tanya smiled at Tristan before returning her attention to her horse.

"Vrijheid." She murmured testing the sound of the name. 'Freedom' probably wouldn't have been the first name that came to mind when naming this horse, but it suited him well.

"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to tack your horse?" demanded Lancelot as he mounted his own horse. K'tanya merely rolled her eyes at him before swinging up onto her horses' bareback and staring down at the great distance between her and the ground.

"If I fall, hopefully I land on something soft." She declared and a couple of the knights smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you." Purred Lancelot flirtatious and K'tanya shook her head.

"Not if you don't want Tristan to maim you, or do some equally painful thing." Lancelot's face fell as her statement and she smirked at him. Tristan sidled up beside her and she patted his leg quickly.

"Don't worry, Lancelot promises to play nice. Can we go now?" Bors let out a loud, "yes", and everyone set off towards the gates that were being opened for them. It would be the first time K'tanya left the protection of the wall since arriving at it, but she wasn't worried since she had her knights to protect her.

& & & & &

"It's the bloody forest, where could people disappear to?" questioned Galahad as him and K'tanya rode side by side. They had been separated from the group and had no idea where to go.

"Galahad, you've been fighting Woads for years now- sometimes in the forest. Do you really want to ask that question?" she playfully teased and he smiled.

"No, I suppose I don't. Gawain would never let me hear the end of it."

"You and Gawain are close, almost like brothers." She observed and Galahad nodded.

"We stuck together when we first arrived on this wretched island. We became the family that we had been taken from and it made things easier." Galahad paused and looked at the lady next to him and smiled.

"Do you have any family K'tanya?" K'tanya shook her head.

"No, not anymore at least. My father was extremely ill right before I was taken so I suppose he is dead by now."

"No siblings?"

"Just one. An older brother taken to be in the service of Rome." Galahad observed K'tanya closely and tried to figure out who she looked like.

"What was his name?" he asked making no connections between her and a knight.

"Percival."

"What? You two look nothing alike!" he exclaimed. K'tanya laughed and turned to him and nodded.

"We were as different as day and night, but we loved each other very much. He protected me and I patched him up when he was beaten up."

"Percival? Beaten up? I find that hard to imagine." Retorted Galahad. K'tanya shrugged and gave a small sigh.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did he die?" Galahad swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he explained.

"We were sent on a mission to defend this town under attack by the Woads. The church was set on fire and a woman told us that her little girl was inside. Percival went against Arthur's orders and ran into the church to rescue the girl." Galahad stopped as tears fell from his eyes. K'taya halted their horses and embraced him as best she could from beside him.

"The little girl lived, but Percival didn't." he choked out. K'tanya felt tears stream down her face as well and she gave a small shake.

"How long ago?" she whispered.

"Two years." K'tanya's heart sunk at the answer. Two years ago she was in Britain living a new life, had she stuck with her past life her brother may have lived.

"What of the girl?" she inquired as she released Galahad. The two of them wiped away their tears before he answered.

"She lived, she must be about six or seven now. She lives at the wall with her aunt." K'tanya nodded and was about to speak when the others emerged from the trees laughing and joking.

"About time we found you." Joked Gawain and Bors shouted to the world.

"ROOUUSS!" Birds who had been frightened from their perches let out shrieks of protest at the annoying bald man before settling down a distance away. That's when everyone noticed K'tanya's tear streaked face and Galahad's slightly red eyes.

"What happened?" inquired Arthur as he moved his horse closer to the duel. Galahad looked down at his hands and K'tanya grasped one gently.

"Galahad told me how Percival died." There was a collective sharp intake of breath from everyone present and K'tanya gave a sad smile to all.

"He was my older brother." Instantly she was engulfed in a hug by Bors and then Dagonet who all whispered comforting words to her making her feel much better.

"We'll have to swap stories sometime. You can tell me about the man he was and I'll tell you about the boy he used to be." She stated and a couple of the knights nodded.

"Sounds like fun." Gawain agreed patting his brother Galahad on the shoulder. 

A few moments of silence passed before Tristan pointed out that the sun was going down and that it may be a good time to go home.

"You have a point, let's return to the wall." Stated Arthur and everyone began to ride back towards the wall and reality.

& & & & &

Galahad watched as K'tanya moved about the Round Table running her fingers over each name. She would occasionally stop and stare at the name almost like she knew the person once. Galahad knew she had reached Percival's spot when a single tear fell from her eyes. He emerged from his place and placed and arm about her shoulders before embracing her completely.

"Two years ago I was trying to create a new life for myself. I can't help but think that if I hadn't done that, maybe I would have found him and saved him." She said and she cried on his chest. Galahad shook his head and rubbed his hands across her back.

"Don't say that, he wouldn't want you feeling guilty." He murmured and K'tanya gave a small laugh in reply.

"Can you show me where he is buried?" she pleaded and Galahad nodded.

"Follow me."

& & & & &

The earth felt cool beneath her knees as she rested beside her brother's grave. His sword, their father's sword, stuck up from the ground and proclaimed to everyone that Percival was buried beneath the ear. Around the hilt of the sword was wrapped a leather strap with beads strung on it and a raven's feather. K'tanya reached out and stroked it with a sad smile on her face.

"I made this for him, before he was taken. I didn't want him to forget about me. I remember telling him that I didn't give a damn what the Romans said, he had to come back to me. And now. . . and now I come to him and I'm too late." The tears began to fall again and Galahad embraced her from behind.

"I'll see you in the fields. That's the last thing we heard him say before he died." Galahad whispered and K'tanya shook.

"Father told us how great knights came back as horses. The day Percival was taken he told me that he may die and if that happened, he would see my in the fields of Sarmatia when I followed after him." More tears racked her body as years of suppressed mourning came forth.

"For a boy of 16 he had no problem dying." Galahad felt a tear roll down his cheek as K'tanya continued to cry. He had known Percival, he had known what a great fighter he had been, but he never took the time to ask him about his past and now he regretted it. He had wanted to protect his brother's, but had failed so many times. But now he could protect the sister of his fallen brother, and Galahad knew he would protect her no matter what the cost.

& & & & &

a.n: Only a few chapters more. I may finish this story today if all goes good. I'm thinking maybe three more chapters, really long chapters at that, but I may make a sequel depending on how many people like this story. I've received over 1400 hits to this story and that is pretty impressive. Now if only I had that many reviews. Hmm. ;) Loves.

-Changer


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Chapter 11:

_The world about her was eerie and foggy, almost like a gray blanket had been draped over everything. She looked around and noticed she was standing in the midst of what looked like staffs with emblems and flags hanging on them. Upon closer examination she saw they were war staffs, the majority of which were Sarmatian._

_A terrible cry drew her attention to below where a group of people had gathered about. She hastened down to them to ask where she was, but came to a dead halt when she saw what they were standing about- a body. She inched closer until she could clearly see who the corpse was and when she did, her heart fell in her chest._

"_Tristan, no." she gasped out as she fell to her knees beside the man. Tears fell down and splattered on his face and she looked up at the knights who were standing about._

"_What happened? Why. . .he. . .why?" she demanded while trying to inhale precious air. The knights around her didn't hear her and continued to talk._

"_How are we going to tell K'tanya?" asked Bors softly. Her head snapped up at the mention of her name and she stood in a rush._

"_I'm right here, what happened!" she shouted at them. Again they didn't hear her._

"_Why can't you hear me!"_

"_They cannot see you." Murmured a voice from behind her. She wheeled about to see a man in blue smiling sadly at her with his hand extended towards her. She walked over to him and grasped his hand tightly._

"_Wh-what's happening?" she asked in a small and timid voice and more tears fell._

"_You're dreaming my dear. Simply a dream of an event that may come to pass." Explained the man._

"_What event, what event could make Tristan die!" she demanded with rage seeping into her voice. The man smiled sadly before gesturing to the world about them._

"_Look around, what do you see?" She turned and looked at the world that seemed so familiar. Her gut tightened as she realized where she was standing and what had conspired here. There had been a battle. It had been a battle that had cost Tristan his life. It had been a battle at Badon Hill._

& & & & &

K'tanya bolted up completely drenched in sweat as she emerged from her dream.

"Tristan." She gasped out as she tried to catch her breath. A hand placed on her back caused her to jump and she turned to see Tristan propped up against the headboard of her bed with a concerned look on his face.

"Tristan!" she exclaimed as she buried herself in his arms. Tears fell down her face and she told herself to calm down and that it really had just been a dream.

"You were screaming." He murmured into her hair. K'tanya looked up at him and ran a hand over his cheek.

"I had this dream where you died. There was a battle at Badon Hill and you were killed. It was terrible." Everything came out in a rush and she couldn't help but let out a small laugh at herself.

"Just a dream." He stated as he gently kissed her. She gave a content sigh as he released her and she rested her head against his chest.

"Mmm, just a dream."

& & & & &

"I heard some screaming come from K'tanya's room last night, did you have fun?" inquired Lancelot as the knights sat about the Round Table.

"Nightmare." Came the curt reply.

"You or K'tanya?" One look from Tristan said K'tanya and shut up all at once. That ended the conversation and Arthur walked in just then with news about their next mission.

& & & & &

"K'tanya." Tristan whispered in her ear as he stood behind her in the hayloft. She turned in his arms and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"What?" she murmured between kisses.

"I have to go on a mission." K'tanya stopped kissing him and looked down at the ground with a furrowed brow. Tristan looked at her with a slightly confused look before he slipped a finger under her chin and forced her to look at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked and she just shook her head, but his gaze didn't allow room for a no to enter.

"Just come back to me." She whispered. Tristan allowed a small smile to grace his features before he kissed her with some much passion K'tanya swore the gods would be envious. Tristan's hands roamed down her arms and rested on her hips as her arms wrapped around his neck. They stumbled backwards onto the hay and tunics and breeches were promptly removed.

& & & & &

K'tanya turned to Tristan as they both rested next to each other beneath his cloak. Both of them had hay sticking in their hair after their lovemaking and she giggled as she removed a straw from his hair. Tristan smiled at her before producing a leather cord with a silver charm on it and placing it about her neck. The hawk rested perfectly on her neck and a small tear formed at the corner of her eye.

"Tristan, it's beautiful." She said and he kissed her once more.

"I will always come back." He whispered in her ear and K'tanya felt all her insecurities disappear.

"I love you." The soft spoken man spoke volumes with those three little words. K'tanya kissed him and smiled with tears shining in her eyes.

"I love you too." They engaged in another kiss that soon turned into another passionate moment.

& & & & &

The sun beat down on K'tanya who rolled over fully clothed in her bed. She opened her eyes and saw that she was lying alone. Her hand traveled up to her neck where it clasped onto the necklace hanging there. Tristan had left, but she had his promise that he would return.

& & & & &

a.n: Yeah, I know I said longer chapters, but I want to get this done before I have to return to reality. Scratch that, I'm just anticipating the end so I want to finish. Anyways, the next chapter is the last, so lots of reviews would be lovely. Here's a bit of Trivia too: This shall be the first fan-fiction that isn't a one shot that I shall finish. I owe it to you guys. Loves.

-Changer


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Chapter 12:

Vanora laughed at her friend who was sitting gazing in the direction of the wall.

"They've been gone a month K'tanya, that isn't abnormal." She explained, but K'tanya simply ignored her.

"They're coming home today, I just know it." She mumbled under her breath. Just then, number 4 came running into the tavern with a grin on his face.

"Papa is back!" he exclaimed. Instantly, Vanora and K'tanya were on their feet and running to the gates where the knights would pass when they entered the fort. 

They passed by quickly and K'tanya had to retain a laugh at all the wenches who openly flirted with the knights. Bors passed by them and enveloped Vanora in a crushing hug and a very passionate kiss. K'tanya peered through the bars in time to see Tristan toss her a fleeting glance before vanishing from sight. All the knights still present gave her a sympathetic look and Dagonet placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You should talk to him." He said before following Bors and the other knights to the tavern for a night of drinking. K'tanya, however, went off in search of the silent scout.

& & & & &

"Tristan?" she called out as she climbed to ladder in the stables. When she reached the top she saw Tristan leaning against the window looking out at the world beyond him.

"Tristan, what's wrong?" she asked as she walked over to him. Tristan didn't reply and K'tanya felt as though a knife had pierced her heart.

"Tristan, did something happen while you were away?" she inquired in a small and broken voice. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he finally turned towards her.

"Arius is gone, you are free." Came his answer.

"What do you mean?" Tristan sighed and backed away from her making tears form in her eyes.

"You have your freedom, you can do what you wish. I cannot."

"No. I love you Tristan and I don't care about freedom." Anger began to seep into her voice as she followed after him.

"Freedom means nothing to me without you and if I have to wait two years for you to receive yours, then I will. I'm not giving up on you. . . on us." Tristan turned to her and grasped her arms roughly causing her to give out a cry of pain.

"I have nothing to give you. I am a slave of Rome. You should find a life with someone else!" K'tanya flinched at the words that were blows to her heart and the tears began to fall.

"I see the logic in what you say, but I think you are an idiot. I could never trust someone with my past like I do with you. I could never love someone like I do you." At this she slapped him hoping it would knock some sense into him. Instead, Tristan spun her about and slammed her into the wall behind them.

"We have a chance for freedom, freedom together. We have a chance at love and I am not going to let your ridiculous ideas jeopordize that. I love you and I will never stop loving you. You don't want me to give up, I know you don't. If you did you never would have said you loved me." She had him there. Had Tristan really wanted her to forget him he never would have given her his heart in all its' entirety. 

"I love you." She said in a hoarse whisper. "I don't want to lose you like I lost my family. I want to wake up every day and see you right beside me. I want you to be there when I wake up from every nightmare. I want you to love me." The tears had stopped and she now waited for what he would say.

"Every day when the sun rises. . ." he paused and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Every day when the sun rises I want to be right beside you. I want to hold you in my arms and be the only one to hold your heart. I love you K'tanya. I love you more than I have ever loved anything." After another pause he added an afterthought.

"Forgive me for my stupid ideas?" he asked and K'tanya smiled.

"On one condition." Tristan's eyebrow perked up and she stroked his cheek gently. 

"Kiss me." Tristan instantly captured her lips with his knowing that he was going to be with her for the rest of his life and nothing was going to change that. They had a chance at freedom, a chance at love and he was never going to sacrifice that chance.

The End

& & & & &

a.n: Sniffle. I'm done. Sorry it was so short, but I was being forced to hurry up so…yeah. Anyways. Reviews are lovely especially if you have any ideas for a sequel or want one. Yep. First fic done, I feel so proud. Thank you all for your continued support and this story may be rewritten in the near future so stay tuned. Love you all.

-Changer


End file.
